The study showed how blockages affect people's consciousness.
The blocking of more than 70,000 X accounts that spread false information after the January 2021 US Capitol riot resulted in a significant reduction in disinformation.
A University of California study found that X's actions reduced the number of misinformation posts from users who stayed on the platform. In addition, many disinformation distributors, including followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory, voluntarily left X after large-scale blockages, including the ban of Donald Trump.
"There was a transfer effect," the authors explain. "Not only did the number of posts from blocked users decrease, but the spread of misinformation on the platform as a whole also decreased."
Researchers analyzed about 550,000 X users in the United States who actively participated in the 2020 election. The team used the App X API to collect tweets and other information about platform users. Users were verified as real people using voter registration data.
The analysis showed that subscribers of blocked accounts were more likely to post links to sites known for spreading misinformation, compared to other users of the social network.
The study also identified about 600 accounts that were among the 0.1% of the most active distributors of disinformation before the Capitol riot. The number of such profiles was reduced by more than half after the block. Similarly, the number of QAnon distributors dropped from 650 to about 200 2 weeks after the block.
Social networks face a dilemma between personal economic interests and public interests, according to scientists. Posting fake news increases engagement, which is beneficial for the platform, but limiting such news is "good for democracy and democratic governance."
The blocking of more than 70,000 X accounts that spread false information after the January 2021 US Capitol riot resulted in a significant reduction in disinformation.
A University of California study found that X's actions reduced the number of misinformation posts from users who stayed on the platform. In addition, many disinformation distributors, including followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory, voluntarily left X after large-scale blockages, including the ban of Donald Trump.
"There was a transfer effect," the authors explain. "Not only did the number of posts from blocked users decrease, but the spread of misinformation on the platform as a whole also decreased."
Researchers analyzed about 550,000 X users in the United States who actively participated in the 2020 election. The team used the App X API to collect tweets and other information about platform users. Users were verified as real people using voter registration data.
The analysis showed that subscribers of blocked accounts were more likely to post links to sites known for spreading misinformation, compared to other users of the social network.
The study also identified about 600 accounts that were among the 0.1% of the most active distributors of disinformation before the Capitol riot. The number of such profiles was reduced by more than half after the block. Similarly, the number of QAnon distributors dropped from 650 to about 200 2 weeks after the block.
Social networks face a dilemma between personal economic interests and public interests, according to scientists. Posting fake news increases engagement, which is beneficial for the platform, but limiting such news is "good for democracy and democratic governance."
